Def Leppard to Meet Arkansas School For the Deaf Leopards

Update: Def Leppard did indeed meet the Arkansas Leopards last night, May 11. Check out the photo of the band with the students above.

We suppose it was only a matter of time, but later today, Def Leppard will travel to the Arkansas School for the Deaf to meet its football team: the Leopards.

You may assume the Arkansas School for the Deaf adopted the Leopard name after some sort of school-wide vote following Def Leppard’s success. Nope! According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the school’s teams have been called the Leopards since at least 1941. Amazing coincidence, isn’t it?

A Change.org petition was launched recently asking Def Leppard to come visit the school during the band’s May 11 stop in Little Rock. The petition only got about 1,500 signatures, but it was enough to get Def Leppard’s attention!

The petition’s creator, Cary Tyson, posted this update on May 9:

Great news! The band has graciously agreed to take a photo with students from the Arkansas School for the Deaf. While their schedule doesn't get them in town in time to get to the school, they've agreed to take a picture with the students & a large replica of the scoreboard at Verizon Arena. A giant thanks to the staff at Verizon who helped make this happen. What great community spirit! We're lucky to have them.

We are tremendously grateful for their time, thoughtfulness and promotion of the good work at the school. Please feel free to tweet them your thanks too. Once I have the photo, I'll send it out.

See you Wednesday. I'll let you buy me a relaxing beverage. I'll be the one in the Def Leppard t-shirt.

Stacey Tatera, spokesman for the Arkansas School for the Deaf, shared her appreciation for Def Leppard’s time. "We're so proud for anyone to shine a light on our school, on deaf education and on the work we do here," she said, adding that she hopes the photo will go viral.